Category: Cleantech
Posted by Tom Clark July 16, 2010
Good news is hard to find these days, even for Metro Denver. But the last 10 days have given us renewed confidence in Metro Denver's economic rebound. Consider this:
- CNBC ranks Colorado third-best for business for the second year-in-a-row.
- Vestas Technology R&D Americas, Inc. announced a 47,675-square-foot lease in Louisville for its new engineering and product development division, initially employing 75 to 125 people. Congratulations to Mayor Chuck Sisk and our partners along the Northwest Corridor for this great addition to our cleantech cluster. We estimate the company's existing capital investment in Colorado at $1billion.
- DaVita closed on land for its corporate headquarters in the Platte Valley next to Millennium Bridge. The healthcare giant promises to not only be a great corporate citizen but is intent on having a positive impact on its new home town. Its 14-story building for 400+ employees is kick-starting the Denver Union Station development—a key component of the entire FasTracks effort. Congratulations to our partners with the City of Denver, particularly Mayor Hickenlooper, and the Denver Office of Economic Development.
- Vestas announces more hiring in its blades and nacelles plants in Windsor and Brighton. After a swoon in the sales of turbines last year, Vestas' investments in Windsor and Brighton appear to be hitting the sweet spot in new business. This past week the company issued media releases indicating a new round of hiring. Our partner in Weld County, Larry Burkhardt, was featured on local television stations. Congratulations to Windsor, Brighton, and Weld County for their successes in these massive capital projects.
- TriZetto Group, Inc., a Newport Beach healthcare software company, announced it will move its corporate headquarters to Greenwood Village. Its new CEO Trace Devanny announced the move shortly after his appointment. The Southeast Business Partnership brought a portion of the company to Greenwood Village back in 2007. The corporate move now brings the number of new corporate headquarters moving the Metro Denver in the past seven years to 44.
- And finally, the agreement between Denver Transit Partners and RTD for construction and operation of the East Corridor to DIA and Gold Line to Arvada and Westminster was completed. This will commence the four-year-construction of this important portion of the FasTracks system. Groundbreaking is scheduled for the end of this month. Congratulations to Phil Washington, the RTD Board and team, and Kim Day and her staff at DIA.
In a time where confidence in the local market is crucial, these events are giving us some optimism that an overall lift in the economy will commence in 2011. As we look forward to the completion of several big projects, such as ConocoPhillips' R&D facility in Louisville and DaVita's HQs in 2012, and the commencement of the East Corridor construction, 2011 through 2014 are looking very strong.
Tags: Cleantech, Economy, Relocation
Posted by Tom Clark June 28, 2010
Standing at the entrance of Intersolar in Munich last week left one simple impression. We were in the presence of the next great thing - solar power is here to stay. Seth Portner, from the Governor's Energy Office observed that five years ago Intersolar's trade show could have been held in the Seawell Ballroom. This year it occupied virtually all the space in the Munich Exhibition Center - formerly its airport, but now refitted into an extraordinary exhibition venue. It reminded me of the start of the semiconductor revolution in the 1970s and the Dot.com revolution brought about by the Internet. Electric...in so many ways.
Like so many new industries that are just hitting their stride, excess optimism is inevitable. Company booths were opulent and often over-staffed with eager, intense employees earnestly hawking their companies' products and services. Many were manufacturers - from glass, to solar panels and roof structures, to IT equipment to operate devices. Eventually it will be far more service providers who will make the money, but today, it's the product pioneers. Unlike the U.S., Europeans are driven by the prospect of climate change more than an interest in profitability. Electricity prices can get as high as 52 cents per kilowatt hour in Germany. As the industry matures, we will see the market assert itself, bringing efficiencies into the industry and not some of the demagoguery that penalizes economic growth for undocumented environmental benefits.
Some industry watchers opine that solar has a better chance of being the nation's primary alternative energy source. It produces energy during the time of day when demand is heaviest. It has built-in infrastructure for installation - most of America's commercial rooftops are potential sites. Solar's ability to combine with energy-storing elements such as water (and ultimately batteries) or in off-grid applications, like thin film, makes it a more flexible source than wind. Its environmental impacts are more predicable than biofuels.
But standing before my 200th solar panel (we are preparing a new metric for growth in solar energy called, "Solar Panels per 100,000 square feet at InterSolar") I was once again filled with awe of those who risk everything to take their dream to the market, to bring jobs and tax income to their communities, and despite what at this moment seem insurmountable odds, succeed beyond even their own imaginings.
Tags: Cleantech
Posted by Tom Clark June 23, 2010
In my 35 years in economic development I have never attended a trade show and come home with more than four "live" projects - and that was when I was representing an entire state. That all changed last week when the Metro Denver EDC, the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade, and a host of our regional partners descended on the American Wind Energy Association's annual conference and trade show in Dallas. This North American gathering for the industry generated 20, yes, 20 live projects! Colorado was on everyone's list and, coupled with the best "giveaway" of the entire event (propeller ball caps and beanies), we had people lined up at our booth to talk about why they needed to be in Colorado.
Projects range from sales offices to R&D to manufacturing. We are enjoying a unique position in this segment due to our 30 percent renewable portfolio standard and our recent changes in the state income tax law and a more competitive incentive package.
The Metro Denver EDC used the venue to launch our global Colorado Cleantech marketing initiative. Prior to the event we brought reporters from Europe as well as Danish wind company suppliers to Metro Denver as part of the tee-up for the launch. We followed this up with a European launch in Munich at InterSolar, Europe's annual gathering of the solar industry. Our people in Europe told us that getting the appointments with European companies was easy. Colorado is now a well-known region thanks to REpower, SMA, Vestas, Siemens, Hexcel, and Bach locating major facilities here.
A recent commentary in Der Taggesspiegel by Christoph von Marschall, a U.S.-based reporter for the newspaper, speaks of the difference in Germany's approach to cleantech versus Colorado's. Germany's approach is much more top-down with a focus on climate change. Colorado is much more focused on the economy opportunity that cleantech offers for the state and the companies within the sector. He asserts that this focus on job creation and innovation will play well in the minds of European companies. Government subsidies in Germany have driven the cost of a kilowatt hour to 26 cents. By contrast, a kilowatt hour in Colorado that is generated from alternative sources costs about 10 cents per kilowatt hour.
Tags: Cleantech
June 8, 2010
In the economic development world, nearly every state is touting itself for cleantech job growth. We felt it was time for Colorado to stake its claim as North America’s Cleantech Hub and did this very successfully with our national Colorado Cleantech launch May 24-26 at AWEA’s WindPower 2010 Conference & Exhibition in Dallas.
And this week I'm with fellow Colorado economic developers in Munich at the Intersolar show to tout the state’s growth in solar technology. We’ll later travel to Copenhagen for meetings with Danish firms that might be eyeing expansion in the United States. While in Europe, we’ll visit with international media too.
What makes Colorado's cleantech position stronger than other states?
- We've created demand for cleantech with Gov. Ritter’s recent signing of a 30 percent Renewable Energy Standard
- We're home to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the DOE's lead energy efficiency and renewable R&D center
- The world's leading cleantech firms, including Vestas and SMA Solar Technology, have made Colorado the focus of their North American expansion activity
- We have an international airport that is one of the world's newest, busiest, and most efficient
Having a thriving international airport with major expansion plans is vital to our growth in cleantech. Representatives from DIA have also joined this trip to meet with major European carriers. Our goal is to make Metro Denver even more accessible to the world by adding more daily, nonstop flights.
And finally, what distinguishes Colorado from say Texas or Iowa is "intellectual capital." Our residents have the nation's second-highest rate of bachelor's degrees or higher behind Massachusetts (home to MIT). Colorado is the acknowledged center for research and development--or brainpower--in cleantech.
You could say that "great ideas come out of thin air" in Colorado, but we already did in our tagline!
For more details, see www.CleantechHub.org.
Tags: Cleantech
About Tom Clark
Tom has over 30 years of economic development experience at the state, regional, and local levels, spanning from Illinois to Colorado. He is known both for his quips and his candor. Often quoted in the local and national press on Metro Denver’s economy, his iPhone is his most valued possession next to his Les Paul guitar. He is also famous for writing parody songs, maintaining an orderly office, and funding the office swear jar. Tom says that if wasn’t an economic developer, his dream would be to work in a chocolate factory. Learn more >>
About The Cone of Silence
Invented by Professor Cone from TV’s "Get Smart," the Cone of Silence was designed to protect the most secret of conversations by enshrouding its users within a transparent sound-proof shield. Unfortunately, from experience, we have also learned that it never works properly. This blog offers those outside our “Cone of Silence” a unique look at economic development in the region. Learn about the Cone of Silence >>
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